


Just Be Joyful

by bugimons



Series: Just Be Joyful - The Universe [1]
Category: JBJ (Band), Produce 101 (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Urban Fantasy, Gumiho Kim Taedong, Immortal Noh Taehyun, Kodama Takada Kenta, M/M, Priest Kim Donghan, Vampire Kim Sanggyun | A-Tom, Witch Kwon Hyunbin
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-07-07
Updated: 2018-07-25
Packaged: 2019-05-26 10:10:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 7,405
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14998613
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bugimons/pseuds/bugimons
Summary: Kwon Hyunbin is the worst witch of his era. He is clumsy, he frequently messes up spells, and he bounced from school to school after being expelled over and over again for his failures. Upon meeting a mysterious man outside his school one day, he finds himself outside Just Be Joyful, a one stop shop with a solution for anything.From vanquishing spirits to helping out with some landscaping work, JBJ is able to solve any problem. Hyunbin just hopes that they'll be able to fix what's wrong with him.Set in an alternate Seoul where the supernatural and the natural co-exist.





	1. Ashes

**Author's Note:**

> This fic has been in the works for over half a year now :') It started out as a shortfic idea that spiralled into something much larger than I expected. I'm still working on the later chapters, I don't have a specific update schedule but I hope that I'll be able to update regularly. 
> 
> I'd like to credit this [ one piece of fanart](https://twitter.com/82fjY1sC8nEflDs/status/920946513030692864) that inspired the whole fic. Without it, this idea would not have come into fruition. Also, thanks to Epik High's album _We've Done Something Wonderful_ for giving me the vibes I needed to flesh out certain characters. 
> 
> A lot of the times the characters may feel like they're acting OOC, but I guess that's what happens when you write an AU that's so far removed from actual reality. 
> 
> That's enough rambling from me though, so I hope you read on and enjoy the story!

A flash of light, a deafening bang, and a cloud of green smoke. The remains of Hyunbin's crudely assembled charm lay on the floor, smoldering.

It was the closest he had been to finally being able to submit something in class, and he was rather proud of the work he put into the magical charm but alas, the universe thought otherwise.

His desk was situated at the front of the room, positioned at a strategic point so that he would have to travel the least amount of distance than his classmates to the teacher's desk thanks to past knowledge of his infamous clumsiness.

The broken charm hissed and popped, throwing up even more smoke. From a faint glow, it grew brighter until it was a shimmering green. Hyunbin would have stood there and admired it, but his instincts told him that this charm could explode any minute now.

His fellow classmates were screaming now, streaming out of the classroom in a haste to evacuate before the situation got any worse. Hyunbin tried to move his legs, but for some reason they refused to listen to him.

The charm was now as bright as a flashlight. The smoke had now changed from the light green to a darker harsher green. Its density was thicker now Hyunbin coughed, accidentally inhaling some of it.

 _Hyunbin, you really screwed up this time._ He thought to himself. He had always thought that he would die in an extravagant way, perhaps saving the world with his powers and proving his parents wrong. (It was a bit strange to think about one's death, but he felt that he should be prepared for anything) But to die like this, stuck in a classroom with his failed and smoking charm, he did not plan for this at all.

He closed his eyes and waited for his death to come. _Hopefully it will be quick and painless_.

The explosion never came.

Hyunbin opened an eye warily. A glittering force field surrounded the offending object, effectively containing the chaotic magic within its boundaries.

“Kwon Hyunbin.”

He felt his heart sink at the sound of the principal’s booming voice. Over at the side of the room he could see his teacher shaking his head in disappointment.

“Come see me in my office.”

With heavy steps and a heavy heart, Hyunbin started his walk of shame to the principal’s office.

***

“This is your fourth time this month.”

Hyunbin kept his head bowed as Principal Yang paced back and forth. He had been inside the office so many times that he had already memorized the pattern weaved into the carpet. He was also sure that he had left a permanent imprint of his butt in the plush cushion of his seat.

“Do you have anything to say for yourself?”

“I'm sorry.” he mumbled, not looking up. “I'll try not to do it again.”

Principal Yang sighed. “I want to believe you, Hyunbin, I really do. But if your carelessness continues, soon enough someone's going to end up dead and I don't want to get the school involved in that kind of mess.”

Although the principal did not say it out loud, the threat hung in the air. It was one of the longest silences in all of Hyunbin's life.

“P-please don't kick me out,” he begged, sliding off his chair and kneeling before Principal Yang with both knees on the ground; the highest form of respect. He could feel the hot tears welling up in his eyes. “This is my last chance.” he croaked out, his voice cracking with emotion.

It was true, it really was his last chance. Prior to this, he had been kicked out of six other magic academies because they just couldn't deal with his accidents. It's not like he meant to cause chaos out of malice. For some strange reason, the universe decided to endow him with extreme clumsiness. His parents didn’t outwardly display their disappointment, but he could still feel it all the same. When his father dropped him off at the gates to the academy on his first day, he looked him in the eye, said: “Son, this time, please.” and drove off.

“I’m sorry,” Principal Yang said, breaking the silence. “We have given you too many chances. The board is hounding my back and I can’t cover up your mistakes any more. ”

Hyunbin’s vision blurred. He blinked rapidly, in a weak attempt to cover up his tears. “I-I promise I can improve! Really!” He brought himself down to the floor in a deep bow, until his forehead was making contact with the soft carpet. “Just give me this chance.”

Principal Yang pressed a button on his desk. “Please escort Kwon Hyunbin outside and notify his parents of his expulsion.”

***

Raindrops hammered the roof of the bus stop. It was raining when Hyunbin exited the school building, as if the heavens had sensed his sadness and reacted accordingly. His phone buzzed in his pocket, probably filled with angry texts from his parents demanding to know what he did. Tilting his head back until it hit the backboard of the bus stop, he let out a loud sob.

“I didn’t ask to be born like this!” he shouted. “Why can’t things just go right for once?”

The rain intensified into a downpour.

Hyunbin brought his knees up to his chest, and buried his face. He had no idea what he was going to do now. With seven school expulsions on his record, no school in Seoul would take him in now. Hell, there’s no school in all of Korea would take him in at this point. He was doomed to live the rest of his life as some guy mooching off his parents, barely able to cast anything stronger than a simple drying spell. Barriers were supposed to be the most basic thing that every witch could do, but his barriers were so brittle that they would break apart with one hit.

He didn’t know how long he cried for, but he had reached the point where he had no tears left and all he could do was heave those shuddering hiccup-y breaths.

“Maybe I’ll just live life as a model.” he wondered aloud. A few relatives had told him that his body proportions were good enough to be a model, but he lacked the interest to pursue that field. Coming from a family of witches it was almost shameful to flunk out of magic school and he flunked out of seven, making him the ultimate failure.

“Or you could come work for me.” said a voice.

Hyunbin looked up from his knees to find himself face to face with man standing in the middle of the pouring rain. The man seemed to be much shorter than he was, but he was dressed extremely well in a cream colored three-piece suit. One hand held onto a sleek black umbrella that shielded him from the rain while the other hand was tucked into his pocket. The man made eye contact with him and smiled.

“Who are you?” he asked, wiping the snot and tears from his face.

The man walked towards him, lowering the umbrella once he was under the safety of the bus stop roof. Shaking the umbrella a few times, he rolled it up and leaned on it like a cane. “My name is Noh Taehyun.”

Taehyun handed him a small business card. It was rectangular and black, but it shimmered as he tilted it. Embossed in a curly silver script was the words ‘Just Be Joyful - Noh Taehyun, owner’

“Just Be Joyful?” Hyunbin read aloud. “What’s that?”

“It’s the name of the store I own. Think of it as a place where you go to solve your problems.” Taehyun eyed him. “Judging from your appearance, I assume that you have some problems you need to be solved.”

Hyunbin set his legs down on the ground. “I just got expelled from magic school for the seventh time. If they couldn’t help me control my magic, how are you supposed to be able to do it?”

Taehyun chuckled, as if Hyunbin had said a hilarious joke. “I told you, my shop solves all sorts of problems.” He held up his hand, palm facing up, and conjured a small blue flame. “I can teach you how to do things like these and more. Magic schools have only been around for the last century. They still don’t know how to teach magic properly.” With a swift movement, he launched the flame into the sky like a signal flare. A limousine pulled up within moments.

“You don’t have to make your decision now,” Taehyun said, as the door of the limousine opened of its own accord. “If you do decide to come work for me, Hyunbin, turn the card face down and set it on fire.”

"Wait how did you-"

Hyunbin saw a tuft of orange-blond hair inside the limo as Taehyun climbed in. The door slammed shut and the limousine sped away, leaving him alone at the bus stop once more.

"-know my name..." Hyunbin finished. He looked down at the card in his hand. The rain had stopped at some point while they were talking to each other, and there was nothing but the sound of frogs croaking.

Shoving the card into his pocket, he started his journey home.

***

“So, what did he say?” asked Kenta, dusting some petals off his orange-blond hair.

Taehyun set his umbrella down on the floor of the car and poured himself a glass of whiskey. He held the glass up to the light, inspecting the amber-colored liquid. “He didn’t say anything, but he will come.”

Sanggyun met Taehyun’s eye through the rear-view mirror as he drove the car through the streets of Seoul. “Are you sure?”

Taehyun took a sip from his glass. “I’m always sure. My feelings never lie.”


	2. Rebirth

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi~ here's the next chapter! I apologize in advance for any grammatical errors, I'm my own beta :') 
> 
> Enjoy~

Although his school was only a few kilometers away from his house, it felt like the longest journey of his life. Every step he took felt heavier and heavier. He had finally mustered the balls to check his phone and sure enough it was full of missed calls and texts.

 **[11:20am] Mom:** Where are you?

 **[11:21am] Dad:** Kwon Hyunbin what have you done again?

_1 Missed call from Hoolim_

_10 Missed calls from Dad_

_12 Missed calls from Mom_

**[12:40pm] Hoolim:** _Hyunbin-ah, where are you?_

Hyunbin stopped just outside the steps to his apartment complex. He should call Hoolim back and let him know that he was fine, but the moment he unlocked his phone to do so all those missed calls reminded him of the confrontation that awaited him. Instead, he sent him a quick message.

 **[1:20pm] Me:** I’m fine. I just got suspended for a while because of what happened in class earlier.

He felt bad for lying to his friend, but the shame was still fresh in his mind. He had only been in school for a few months after all, and although they were close friends, they were _that_ close yet. He was about to ascend the stairs, when he suddenly heard a soft meow. A tabby cat was perched on the railing, staring at him.

Hyunbin had always liked cats. He wanted one, but his mother was allergic to dander so he never had the chance. He reached out slowly, trying his best not to startle the cat. Surprisingly, the cat did not shy away from his touch, but rather it came closer. Its fur was soft, much softer than he had expected. The cat did not seem to be wearing a collar at all, but it was surprisingly well groomed for a stray cat.

His phone buzzed in his pocket again, bringing him back to reality.

“I’m so sorry I have to go,” he said to the cat, scratching it behind the ear gently. “I hope I get to see you again.” The cat meowed, as if in response, and climbed to the top of the stairs, watching him. Hyunbin took a deep breath and accepted his fate.

***

“We’re very disappointed in you.” his mother said, arms crossed.

The moment he unlocked the door and it swung open with a telltale beep, he was accosted and made to sit (kneel) down in front of his parents. His father sat in the armchair, while his mother stood by his side. Hyunbin kept his head bowed towards the floor. When his parents were in that kind of mood, oftentimes one wrong move would send objects flying.

“Not even six months.” his father shook his head. “You couldn’t even last six months. Do you know how hard your mother and I worked to get Principal Yang to accept you into the school? The amount of favors I had to call in? The debts we now owe to others?”

In this world, debts were very powerful things. One always had to fulfil their debts, lest they be punished by the higher forces at work. Not a single being was able to escape this one rule that bound them all. Of course, the punishment for children was less harsh than the ones handed out to those that reached the age of maturity, but one thing stood clear. Keep your promises, repay your debts. That was the fundamental rule of this society.

Hyunbin kept his mouth shut. All he needed to do was to let his parents blow off their steam, and then he could leave to the sanctuary of his room. They always did this; talked about what they did for him, and about the shame he brought to the family. They never asked him how he felt. It was either be a witch or be nothing.

“Why can’t you be more like your cousin Soonyoung?”

Cousin Soonyoung was a prodigy in this family. They used to be close when they were younger, but after Hyunbin got kicked out of magic academy for the first time, they lost touch with each other. Last time he heard of him, he was told that Soonyoung had joined a coven of twelve other witches after graduating with top honors and was doing very well with his life.

He clenched his teeth and fists in frustration, but still kept his eyes firmly trained on one spot in the carpet. _Just hold on for a few more minutes…_

“Hyunbin, we don't know how much longer we can keep doing this.” his father said, exasperated. “And as much as it pains your mother and I,”

_Liar._

“We have decided to disown you.”

And for the first time in Hyunbin's life, he looked up.

“D-disown?” he said in disbelief, the word feeling alien on his lips. His father's expression was impassive. His mother, on the other hand, had turned her face away from him so he couldn't read her expression.

“Yes, disowning.” His father lit a cigar and started to smoke from it. “We'll give you some money so you can get yourself a house or food or something.” The dismissal in his tone pierced Hyunbin’s chest like a javelin. Whoever said that words don’t hurt had clearly never been hurt before in their entire life.

Hyunbin shakily stood up. He felt like crying but if he let his tears show now, that would mean showing his weakness to his parents. “I understand if that’s what you want for me,” he replied, purposely not looking at his father in the eye. “But if you think that this will solve anything, you’re wrong.”

And with that, he turned on his heel and walked away to his room.

Once he shut the door, he slid down against the smooth white mahogany. Disownment. Never in his life did he ever consider that his parents would take that road when it came to him. As the only child in the family, he thought that they wouldn’t dare to remove their only heir from the family.

He knows that disownment wasn’t as bad as they said it was. His uncle Jiyong was living a good life despite being banished from the family six years ago for falling in love with a vampire. (The family was not too keen on inter-species relationships, despite the long history of peace with the different beings that lived in Seoul.)

But still. It hurt. Hyunbin cried tears he didn’t know he still had. He cried until he used up all of the tissues in his tissue box and he couldn’t wipe his tears anymore because he didn’t want to leave his room and show his tear-streaked face to his parents. If this was how it felt like to experience complete and utter betrayal, he did not want to experience it ever again.

A meow interrupted the silence, followed by the sound of scratching. The sound was coming from the direction of the window. Hyunbin drew back the wine red curtains to reveal the same tabby cat from earlier. It was pawing at the glass, but as soon as it noticed Hyunbin, it stopped and sat there expectantly.

He opened up the window to let the cat inside, which it did with one graceful leap. It weaved in between his legs, purring like a motor. Hyunbin picked the cat up and lay down on his bed, petting the cat gently on his stomach.

“What are you doing here? Did you follow me upstairs?” The cat mewed, curling up on his stomach. It started to paw at his left pocket, as if trying to say something.

“My pocket?” confused, and slightly intrigued, he put his hand inside his pocket and felt the smooth surface of the business card he had forgotten about.

 _If you do decide to work for me, turn the card over so it faces down and set it on fire_.

“Set it on fire…” he mused aloud. He looked at the cat. “Do you think I should do it?”

The cat licked its paws and started to groom itself.

Hyunbin turned his attention back to the business card. “You're right, I don't really have much of a choice.”

Running a hand through his dyed blonde hair, he weighed out his options. It was either this or living in some rented out apartment until his money ran out and he died sad and alone. While he _was_ pretty much handed a job opportunity on a silver platter, he had no idea who Taehyun was or how he found him in the first place. If he didn't take the job, he'd have to go around looking for anyone who would take him, and that could take months.

The cat meowed again, and call Hyunbin crazy but it sounded like it was slightly annoyed?

Taking a box of matches from the bedside table—he kept them in there to light his scented candles—he turned the card so that the embossed words faced the ground and lit it with a match.

The moment the fire touched the card it changed from orange to a brilliant purple and then vanished. Hyunbin picked the card up from the floor where he dropped it in his fear.

On the backside of the card, which was previously blank, the outline of a map started to appear. A purple dot lay in the middle, pulsating. He recognized the markings of the map to symbolize the neighborhood that he lived in.

“Is this like a GPS?” he asked the cat. As usual, it gave no response.

A few minutes later, he was outside his house with a hastily packed bag, filled with the things that he thought were too precious to leave behind at his parents’ house: His wallet, a pair of underwear, his glasses, spare clothes, a toothbrush, a razor, and his ever important facial wash.

“Alright magic card, show me the way.” Hyunbin let go of the card, which hovered in front of him. The map had now changed to show an arrow that pointed straight ahead. Following its directions, he started to walk, turning when the card indicated that he needed to.

The cat was still with him, following after at a safe distance.

A few twists and turns, Hyunbin found himself in a side street he had never seen before in Bukchon. He stood in front of a gate in the midst of the Hanok village. The card floated down to land in his hand. A sign at the door read:

Just Be Joyful

Hyunbin raised a hand to knock on the gate, but before his fist could make contact with its surface, it opened and head peeked out.

“Mr. Kwon Hyunbin?” the boy asked, looking up at him. (Hyunbin was rather tall) The boy spoke with a slight Japanese accent, but he was still understandable. “My name is Takada Kenta. Noh Taehyun is expecting you.” He opened the gate wider. “Please come inside.”

Hyunbin followed the boy through the gate. As he did so, he felt like he was passing through something that had the density of jelly, and he stumbled a bit when he reached the other side. Kenta turned back to look at him.

“Oh, right. I forgot to warn you about the barrier, It’s a bit uncomfortable for first-timers, but you’ll get used to it eventually.”

Hyunbin noticed that he smelled like cherry blossoms, but it was weird becaust it was now fall and cherry blossoms were out of season. He turned around to see if the cat was still following him. It was gone now. He felt saddened that it was no longer with him, but he was glad that it stayed with him throughout his journey. They crossed the outer garden to reach the inner building inside.

Hyunbin had only seen hanok from the outside, but being inside one now was a whole new experience. The well maintained grounds made it seem as if time had stopped and he had somehow travelled back to the Joseon Dynasty.

Kenta stopped walking. They were standing in front of a screen door, covered in paper (the houses back then had paper covering the doors instead of wood). Hyunbin slid the doors aside and entered.

The room was full of boxes, some strange items perched precariously on the edge. An ornate looking instrument whirled in the corner. Hyunbin's attention was drawn towards a pretty hand mirror, encrusted with crystals. He reached out to pick it up, when a voice interrupted him.

“I wouldn't touch that if I were you.”

Hyunbin ripped his eyes away from the mirror to face Taehyun, who was leaning against a doorframe.

“Why not?”

The smaller man came closer. “This mirror is known as Narcissus’ Revenge.” he explained. “Once an unsuspecting person touches it and looks into it, they are cursed into looking at themselves forever until they end up starving to death.”

Hyunbin quickly drew his hand back from the mirror, mortified that he almost cursed himself. Conjuring a set of gloves, Taehyun picked up the mirror and tucked it away inside a crystal case. “I knew you’d come.” Taehyun said, smiling brightly at Hyunbin. “The tea should be ready now, so let’s go to the veranda and have a little chat.”

A few moments later, they were seated on cushions on the veranda overlooking the courtyard. A pale boy with purple eyes entered the veranda, holding a ceramic teapot. Hyunbin thanked him as he poured tea into his cup. The boy smiled back, revealing a pair of fangs.

“You’re a vampire?!” Hyunbin asked, surprised to see a vampire out and about in the middle of the day.

The boy straightened up after pouring tea into Taehyun’s cup. “Yeah, I am. You got a problem with it?”

“No!” Hyunbin said, backpedaling. “No, that’s not what I meant. I mean my uncle’s married to a vampire so I’ve definitely got no problems with your kind at all. I was just surprised to see one out during the day.”

The vampire’s serious expression broke out into a smile. “I’m just messing around, kiddo. I know you meant no harm.” He nodded towards Taehyun. “He’s got good judgement of character.”

“Alright Sanggyun, you can go now,” Taehyun waved him away. “I have things to discuss with Hyunbin.”

The boy, Sanggyun, pouted. “It’s not fair that you get to hog the new kid all to yourself, Taehyunie-hyung.”

Taehyun rolled his eyes. “Go!”

Sticking out his tongue at Taehyun, Sanggyun gave Hyunbin a cheery wave before disappearing back inside the house. Taehyun took a sip from his cup.

“Now, let’s talk about this job.” he said, shifting on his cushion.

Hyunbin realized that he actually had no idea what the job he just agreed to would entail. “Right, I don’t actually know anything about you, or this shop.”

Taehyun gave him a knowing smile. “Don’t you remember what I told you when we first met? It’s a shop that solves problems. You’re not the first to work at this shop, in fact there are four other people whom you’ll be working with.”

“So I just have to solve problems, like some kind of therapist or fortuneteller?”

“Well,” Taehyun leaned forward. “We don’t just solve your generic kind of problems. We solve the problems that have the police scratching their heads; the kinds of problems that people would rather not let the public know about. _Those_ kinds of problems.”

Although Taehyun was not saying it out loud, what he meant rang clear. They sometimes operated like mercenaries, doing the jobs that no one wanted to do, hiding in the shadows of society. Hyunbin had heard whispers of people like them before, but to be sitting across one right now was, quite frankly, terrifying. However, he also felt excitement within him, and curiosity.

His parents had always left him in an isolated world, mixing only with his fellow mages. He had dreamed of being able to go out and meet the other beings that mingled together in Seoul, but he never had the chance to. His family were very particular about who they associated themselves with, and Hyunbin hated that. He remembered a time when his parents pulled him out of his first preschool because they saw him make friends with a half-fox. Ever since then, he was placed in mage-only schools, that were supposed to prepare him for magic academy. (But clearly that did no help whatsoever.)

Hyunbin ran his fingers along the grooves in his teacup. “I don’t really have anywhere else to go now, so I guess I’ll just take whatever you give me.” He looked at Taehyun. “You told me that you could help me with my powers, right? I want to prove to my parents that I’m not the failure that they wrote me off as. Can you help me do that?”

Taehyun shrugged. “I can help you control your powers. But I can’t guarantee that your family will accept you. That’s up to you to solve that.” He set aside his tea cup. “I’m grateful that you accepted my offer though, I really appreciate it.”

Kenta, the cherry blossom-scented boy from earlier, re-appeared at the side of the veranda.

“Kenta will escort you to your room. Welcome to Just Be Joyful, Kwon Hyunbin.” With that, Taehyun shook Hyunbin’s hand and re-entered the house.

Kenta bounded up to Hyunbin. “I’m so excited for you to join us!” he said, eyes sparkling in excitement. If Kenta had a tail (which he did not, Hyunbin checked), it would be wagging right now. “If you follow me, I’ll take you to your room. We’re all sharing rooms, except for Taehyun and Donghan, so you’ll have a roommate.”

_A roommate…_

Hyunbin had often wondered what life would be like if he had another sibling. As an only child, he had to come up with a myriad of things just to keep himself busy. He was envious of the other kids he’d see in the park, playing with their siblings. When he was younger, the closest thing he had to a brother was Soonyoung, but then he moved away.

“I hope you’re not allergic to cats.”

“What?” Hyunbin asked, realizing that he had been zoning out the whole time. They were no longer on the veranda, but now stood in front yet another paper door.

“Your roommate is a shapeshifter with two cats. He’s a really nice guy, but he _can_ get confused with his human and cat forms sometimes.” Kenta said, scratching the back of his head sheepishly.

“I love cats!” replied Hyunbin enthusiastically.

“That’s wonderful! I think you guys you’ll get along well.” Kenta’s ears perked up.“I better get going. Sanggyun likes to lock me out of the room when he gets bored.” He waved goodbye to Hyunbin and walked to the room next door.

Hyunbin was alone once more. He hoped that he would get along with his roommate. Taking a deep breath, he raised his hand and knocked on the wooden frame of the door.

“Come in!” shouted a voice, followed by the sound of something falling over and a cat’s meow.

Hyunbin slid the door aside and found himself in a cozy little room, with two beds pushed up together in the center of the room. There were various cat toys scattered across the floor, and a small cat house. Hyunbin’s eyes were drawn to a familiar tabby cat that sat on one of the beds, grooming itself.

“Hey! It’s you!” he exclaimed, rushing over to the bed and picking up the cat.

“Oh, I see you’re already acquainted with Reusi.” said the same voice that told him to come in. A tuft of black hair popped up from the underside of the bed. “My name is Yongguk. I’m your roommate from now on until the end of time.”

Hyunbin set Reusi down. “What are you doing underneath the bed?”

Yongguk emerged from under the bed, holding a black and white cat. “I was playing with Tolbi. He’s Reusi’s brother.” He held up Tolbi’s paw and waved it at Hyunbin. “Say hi, Tolbi.”

Tolbi meowed in reply.

Hyunbin set his bag down on the floor. “Is there a reason why our beds have been pushed together?”

“I thought things would be cozier that way,” Yongguk sat on the bed with Tolbi, scratching the cat behind the ears. “Plus, the cats have a bigger space to play around with.” he added. “I hope you don't mind.”

Hyunbin shrugged. “I love cats so I'm not complaining."

Later on, freshly showered and lying on his new bed with Reusi curled up on his chest, Hyunbin stared up at the ceiling.

Today was a such a roller-coaster of emotions. From getting expelled from school to getting disowned by his family, and finding a job and a place to stay out of the blue, he was amazed that he was still holding together. His roommate Yongguk was curled up on the bed next to him, just like a cat. 

“I hope things work out.” he said aloud, although he knew no one could hear him.


	3. Settling In

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this chapter took so long to upload! I've got a production happening in less than two weeks so it's crunch time for me. Do expect slower updates until mid-August :'))
> 
> thank you for all the love you've been giving this fic! I'm glad that there's still some people reading JBJ fics <3

“Rise and shine!” called Kenta's cheerful voice.

Hyunbin rolled over in bed, groaning. “Five more minutes…” he mumbled, burying his face in…cat fur?!

His eyes flew open in shock. He wasn't in his house anymore. His half awake brain took in his surroundings, confused until the events of yesterday came back to him and punched him in the gut.

He was no longer Kwon Hyunbin of the prestigious Kwon family.

He was just plain old Kwon Hyunbin.

The door slid open and Kenta stuck his head through the gap. “Are you coming? Your breakfast is going to get cold.”

Hyunbin sat up. Yongguk was no longer in the bed next to him, in fact he didn't seem to be anywhere in the room. He noticed that there was another cat in the room that he had never noticed before. It was a white cat with black markings, and it was watching him from the ceiling beams. Hyunbin thought it was strange, but he dismissed it because his stomach was groaning in hunger.

“So, breakfast?” he asked Kenta.

***

The dining area was in an open air space in the courtyard. A stone path paved the center of the glass, leading up to a round wooden table in the middle of everything. There were already a few people seated around the table when they arrived. Hyunbin recognized Taehyun and Sanggyun from yesterday, but there was one more person that he didn't know.

He had dark hair, styled neatly into a comma style. He was clothed entirely in black, and Hyunbin would have mistaken him for a goth or an emo if it were not for the telltale white space on his collar, and the silver cross that hung around his neck. He was in the midst of shoving an inhuman amount of noodles into his mouth. He looked up and made direct eye contact with Hyunbin, and then consumed the whole bunch of noodles without breaking away from his gaze.

Feeling slightly unnerved, Hyunbin took his place at the table furthest away from that strange boy. Unfortunately, this meant that he was now sitting right next to the vampire from yesterday, Sanggyun.

“Hello kiddo,” Sanggyun said flashing him a grin. “Did you sleep well last night?”

Nearby, Kenta made some coughing noises, sounding as if he was choking on something.

Hyunbin scratched the back of his head. “Yeah, I guess I slept well. Why are you asking?”

Sanggyun took a long drink from his glass full of dark red liquid. “I’m allergic to cats.” he said matter of factly, lips red from the blood that he just drank. “I was worried you might be the same.”

Hyunbin ate a forkful of japchae. “Speaking of cats, do you know where Yongguk went? He wasn’t in the room when I woke up this morning.”

“Yongguk comes and goes,” said the boy that was stuffing his face earlier. “That guy’s really like a cat, I swear.”

“And you are?”

“Donghan. Kim Donghan.” Donghan dabbed at his lips with a napkin. “I’m JBJ’s resident priest and hunter. Did you enjoy my eating display earlier?”

Beside him, Sanggyun made a retching noise. “You’re really gross when you do that, Donghan.”

Donghan shot Sanggyun an chilling glare. Hyunbin began to silently pray that he would never be on the receiving end of those cold, dead eyes. “At least I don’t walk around naked all the time.”

Sanggyun pouted. “That was only one time.”

“You nearly blinded everyone.”

“How was I supposed to know that I’d sparkle _that_ much!”

Hyunbin watched the two bicker across the table, amused. Kenta leaned over to Hyunbin. “Sanggyun’s the type of vampire that sparkles in the sunlight.” he explained. “He also has this habit of taking his clothes off whenever he feels too hot.”

“We discovered that his sparkle factor intensifies when the sun is brighter.” joined Taehyun, sitting down next to Kenta with a plate of cookies. “You can imagine what a nightmare it is in the summer.”

Hyunbin’s mind’s eye conjured up the image of a dazzlingly bright Sanggyun standing in the middle of the courtyard, laughing maniacally as the others shielded their eyes screaming. “I...don’t think I need to think about Sanggyun naked when I just barely met him.”

Taehyun smiled at him knowingly. “You just thought about it, didn’t you?”

“W-what no!”

“Hyunbinie you’re a very bad liar,” said Kenta, leaning on one arm. “That won’t be good if we send you out on an undercover job.”

Hyunbin looked at Taehyun. “You guys do undercover things too?”

“Well, only _sometimes_.” Taehyun waved it off with his hand. “Don’t think too much about it. You’ll be able to do it when you’re a little more experienced. For now I’ll be sending you out on smaller jobs. You’ll always have one of these guys, so they can keep an eye on you and make sure you don’t end up killing yourself somehow.”

Donghan and Sanggyun were now screaming expletives at each other across the table.

Hyunbin covered his ears with his hands. Sanggyun was very loud. “Uhh shouldn’t you be doing something about this?”

Taehyun groaned. “They’re at it again. Kenta can you do the honors?”

Kenta nodded at Taehyun. “I’ve got it.”

Kenta wagged a finger in Donghan and Sanggyun’s direction. Vines suddenly sprouted from the ground and curled themselves around the pair’s mouths, effectively shutting them up and tying them to their chairs.

If looks could kill, Kenta would have been dead a thousand times over from the intensity of the glare that Donghan was sending his way.

“Done!”

Taehyun downed his glass of juice in one shot. “Ahh, peace and quiet.”

Hyunbin was amazed. “Are you a plant whisperer?” He asked Kenta, awed.

Kenta brushed some cherry blossom petals off his shoulder (where did those keep coming from?). “Something like that. I’m a kodama. I think in your language the closest thing you’d have to it is a tree god?” He looked at Taehyun for confirmation.

Taehyun nodded. “Yes, a tree god.”

“Woahh,” Hyunbin said. “I’ve never met a god before.”

He had known that there were some gods that walked amongst them, but he assumed that they lived in their own special communities. To see one up close was absolutely incredible. He made a mental note to tell Hoolim all about it.

The white cat that Hyunbin left behind in the room had found its way outside and was now on standing on the table, eating all of the scraps that were left behind. It glanced in Hyunbin’s direction, and for a moment Hyunbin felt like that cat was familiar in some way, but he couldn’t place his finger on why.

“Eww, Yongguk that’s gross!” Sanggyun had somehow broken free from his mouth restraints.

It took a moment for that statement to process. “Wait,” Hyunbin looked at Sanggyun, and then back to the cat. He jabbed a finger in the cat’s direction. “ _That’s_ Yongguk?!” He asked incredulously.

The cat gave him an annoyed look and jumped off the table.

Before Hyunbin’s eyes, he watched as the cat morphed into none other than his roommate, Yongguk. Except this time, Yongguk had a pair of cat ears and a tail.

“Like I said, he gets confused between his cat and his human forms sometimes. Be grateful that this time, he accidentally kept his cat parts rather than the other way around.” whispered Kenta.

Hyunbin shuddered at the thought of a cat walking around with Yongguk’s human head on it. “I’ll be sure to thank my lucky stars tonight.”

***

After breakfast, Hyunbin found himself with the task of sweeping the courtyard.

“For character building.” Taehyun said, giving Hyunbin two thumbs up.

Hyunbin leaned on his broom and sighed. Donghan and Sanggyun had left the compound soon after breakfast, on a mysterious job. Hyunbin had asked if he could come along, but Taehyun shot him down as soon as he asked. He was a little envious of them. Yongguk had disappeared after his brief appearance at breakfast again, taking Reusi and Tolbi along with him. When he pressed Kenta for more information about it, he was told that Yongguk went to visit his lover, a priest named Shihyun who worked at a nearby church.

“He co-owns Yongguk’s cats.” explained Kenta.

Hyunbin resumed his sweeping. On a normal day, he would have been sitting in his classroom, bored out of his mind. He remembered how Hoolim would pass him notes, enchanted with a spell that only revealed its contents to him and Hyunbin. They never got caught. He wondered what Hoolim was up to now.

“You can go call your friend, you know.” Taehyun’s voice interrupted his thoughts. “Just don’t tell him the full details of what we do.”

“Aye-aye.” Hyunbin set the broom aside and pulled his phone out of his pocket, dialling Hoolim’s number from memory. It took a couple of rings before Hoolim’s caller ring disappeared and his friend’s voice came over the speaker.

“Hello?”

“Hyung!” Hyunbin shouted into the phone excitedly. “It’s me, Hyunbin!”

“Ahh! Hyunbin! Where the hell have you been? Why didn’t you call me back yesterday?” Hyunbin held the phone away from his ear as his friend yelled in his ear.

“I’m sorry, hyung. A lot of things has happened since we last saw each other yesterday.”

Hyunbin explained everything that happened yesterday, from his failed charm to his expulsion from school. He nearly broke down in tears talking about his family, so he changed his story to him being kicked out of the house for the time being instead of being disowned.

“So now I’m working for a friend of my uncle’s and he’s giving me a room to stay in while I work for him.”

He could hear the sounds of water running in the background. Hoolim had probably excused himself to go to the bathroom to pick up his call.

There was a pause. “I'm sorry about your family situation, Hyunbin. Stay safe okay? Get out if something weird happens.”

“Ahh hyung, don't worry. Everyone’s really nice. I'll be safe. Go back to class before you get caught in diarrhea rumors again.”

He heard Hoolim groan on the other end. “You didn't have to go there, Bin. Alright I'll go back to class.”

“Bye hyung.”

“I take back what I said earlier. You're a pretty good liar.”

Hyunbin whirled around. Kenta was leaning against the trunk of a nearby tree.

“How long have you been there?” he asked, embarrassed that he had been seen.

A tree branch lowered itself by Kenta’s shoulder. The kodama plucked an apple from it and took a bite. “Since you started sweeping.” Kenta held the bitten apple towards Hyunbin. “Do you want some?”

Hyunbin shook his head, declining Kenta’s offer. Kenta patted the ground next to him. “Come, sit with me.”

He took his place next to him, surprised that the ground was softer than he expected. It was like he was sitting on a soft cushion rather than the cold hard ground.

“Why did you lie to your friend?”

Hyunbin felt his ears growing warmer at being caught in the act of lying. “I...I had no other choice. We’ve known each other for a while now, but...he’d think it’s weird that I’ve accepted a random job offer from a random person and that I’m now living with a bunch of random people that I’ve known for less than a day.”

Kenta hummed. “Fair point.”

A sudden breeze blew through the tree, dislodging some loose leaves that fluttered gently down. Kenta reached out and plucked one out of the air. “I thought that lying was forbidden but ever since I started living here I realized that you humans do it all the time. The others have tried explaining it to me but I still don't get it. Why would you lie when the truth will eventually come out?”

“I don't…know…” The kodama’s question had thrown him off guard. If Hoolim told him that he would be discussing morality with a (possibly) immortal being instead of attending class he would have just dismissed it as something impossible. Not to mention that Hyunbin was more than guilty of delivering white lies when he had to.

“I guess it’s more like…” he paused, trying to piece the words together properly. “Sometimes the truth hurts more when it’s said at the wrong time.”

Kenta tilted his head in confusion. “But how would you know when the timing is right? What if the wrong time is actually the best time?”

“That’s the thing, you’ll never really know,” Hyunbin leaned back against the tree, staring up at the pockets of blue sky that peeked through the foliage. “Humans can’t know everything. We just live our lives with this ever present uncertainty.”

And as much as he had tried to grow accustomed with that fact, he still felt uncomfortable about it. Right now, he was as uncertain about his future as he was the first time he was thrown out of school.

“I hope you find that one constant in your life,” said Kenta, giving him a small smile. “It makes the uncertainty a little less terrifying.” There was a gust of wind and he was gone, leaving a puff of cherry blossom petals in his wake.

Hyunbin stared at the spot Kenta previously occupied.

“That’s going to take some time getting used to.” he said aloud.


End file.
